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SUCCESSION: THE FINAL SEASON Starring: Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen, Nicholas Braun, and Alan Ruck Creator: Jesse Armstrong PAIGE Succession will go down in history as one of the greatest HBO shows of all time. Season Four felt unforeseeable yet entirely inescapable, coming full circle and leaving the Roy children exactly where they started. This journey has allowed the Roy family to become some of the most compelling and well-rounded characters to grace our television screens, which is all due to the series’ remarkable writing, incredible direction, and phenomenal performances. I’m going to miss witnessing the triumphs and falls of this toxic-ass family, but what more can I say besides “fuck off…”; go watch this series if you haven’t already done so! ADRIANO Succession ’s final season cemented what was already clear: it will go down as one of the best shows ever made. Show creator Jesse Armstrong’s final outing allowed for his themes of greed, generational trauma, and living up to your families’ legacy to finish in a way that feels not only good, but right. The twists and turns are more shocking than ever, and the ensemble is just as snarky as you remember. Personally, I’m still reeling from the finale’s explosive twist, and it’s a show whose impact will stay with me for years to come.

CULPRITS: SEASON ONE Starring: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Niamh Algar, Kamel El Basha, Tara Abboud, Karl Collins, Vincent Riotta, Amara Karan, Tom Mothersdale, Mark Field, and Laura Morgan Creator: J Blakeson QUENTIN The heist genre is maybe the most fun genre out there, and probably one of the hardest to truly mess up. With Culprits , series creator/writer/occasional director J Blakeson benefits from these two ideals because when it finally gets to heisting, it’s a fast-paced, violent, action-packed show. The problem is that it takes half the season to get there, and the early episodes, which lean heavily into a “before-and-after” storytelling structure, are a bit of a slog because the constant time-jumping kills the narrative momentum. Still, as a whole, if you can make it through the uneven start, there is enough stylized Reservoir Dogs -inspired goodness to entertain.

THE PITT: SEASON ONE Starring: Noah Wyle, Patrick Ball, Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Gerran Howell, Isa Briones, Tracy Ifeachor, Shabana Azeez, Supriya Ganesh, Katherine LaNasa, Alexandra Metz, Krystel Mcneil, Shawn Hatosy, and Michael Hyatt Creator: R. Scott Gemmill NICK As someone who has watched a fair share of medical dramas, I think The Pitt is the most realistic one I’ve seen. It never relies on the romantic or soap opera theatrics of series like Grey’s Anatomy to make for a more exciting story, instead using the real-time format to achieve it organically. The perennially underrated Noah Wyle leads a balanced cast that manages to both leave their mark individually and enhance the overall story. With a healthy dose of hope, humour, and heartbreak, The Pitt raises the bar for what a medical series can be.

GEN V: SEASON TWO Starring: Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Hamish Linklater, Sean Patrick Thomas, Asa Germann, and Ethan Slater Creators: Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Craig Rosenberg AMARÚ Gen V : Season Two is as unapologetic, gory, and politically charged as any season of The Boys , maybe even more. It naturally builds out the world to continue this universe’s story well past its predecessor’s series finale. But I can’t help but feel there is something missing. Colliding multiple storylines with cameos (albeit good ones), action pieces, and a moving season-long tribute to Chance Perdomo makes for some great reveals, but the series moves through each so fast that the youth-centered themes and cast performances don’t feel as intelligent. It does give us a career-best Hamish Linklater performance, though, and left me entertained with this crazy show. PAIGE First and foremost, Gen V : Season Two does a beautiful and respectful job of honoring the late Chance Perdomo, who passed away before this season was filmed. The impact he left on both the characters and the cast is felt throughout each episode. Secondly, this season confidently stands apart on its own merit by going full throttle and building upon the majority of its characters’ developments. It introduces one of the best villains in the franchise, and furthers the overall story for this universe. Somehow, this is even more fucked up than its predecessor, and yet it has so much bloody heart. QUENTIN If you’re a loyalist to franchise IP — the type of person who still considers every spinoff of The Walking Dead to be appointment viewing — Gen V delivers enough of The Boys ’ satire, gore, violence, dark humor, and superhero action to scratch your itch, especially as the parent series prepares to enter its final season. That said, all the fun aspects that are carried over from the core show are nothing more than wrapping paper for CW-style melodrama between characters that lack charisma. It’s like an R-rated Arrowverse, and although it remains provocative, I’m not sure I care enough to stick around once The Boys ends. NICK With Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau being the clear focal point of Gen V going forward, this season needed to improve upon her character, which it does in both the writing and Sinclair’s performance. Helping with that evolution is having a truly intimidating villain (something many superhero stories struggle with), played by a never better Hamish Linklater. Above all else, though, this entire season is a tribute to the late Chance Perdomo, and it is a touching one. I’m not sure there's much road left for this story after The Boys concludes with its fifth season, but Season Two was a nice step up. Check out our reviews for Season One HERE .

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE FINAL SEASON Starring: Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, and J.B. Smoove Creator: Larry David QUENTIN After 12 seasons and 25 years(!) of irreverent crankiness, Larry David has finally decided to lower the curtain on Curb Your Enthusiasm , and he does so by embracing everything that has made the series so successful for so long: hilariously abrasive observations, a parade of A-list guest stars, the tackling of current events, and beautifully relatable outrage (even if we don’t always want to admit just how much we relate). On top of that, the finale feels like David’s apology and do-over for the much-maligned Seinfeld finale. All said and done, this final season, much like Curb ’s entire run, was prettay, prettaaay, prettaaaaay…pretty good.

1923: SEASON ONE Starring: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Isabel May, and Timothy Dalton Creator: Taylor Sheridan QUENTIN I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record when I review Taylor Sheridan’s shows since they all have the same problem, most notably that they are overstuffed and underdeveloped, which means the viewer never gets truly invested in most of the storylines. Sadly, 1923 is Sheridan’s worst offender. Aside from the engaging Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) arc, the rest of the show is filled with virtually nameless Duttons doing random cowboy things. Even Helen Mirren and especially Harrison Ford are underused despite being the advertised stars of the show. Still, this could be a good show with better focus; hopefully, they find it next season.

LUPIN: PART THREE Starring: Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Soufiane Guerrab, Shirine Boutella, and Etan Simon Creators: George Kay and François Uzan AMARÚ When Omar Sy’s Assane Diop drips cool from his every pore, a show like Lupin is hard not to enjoy. Part Three feels somewhat like a soft reboot, but by being a longer “season,” the extra episodes create the time needed to connect to the new storylines. Delving deeper in Assane’s life allows Sy to drive the show’s kinetic energy past any trope-filled flaws it contains. He is such a charming action star that you care about every relationship, root for every con, and follow every twist (even the predictable ones) through this consistently entertaining show. QUENTIN After two years, Netflix’s Lupin is back with the same breezy caper energy and gentlemanly James Bond-esque vibe as before. However, while the series is still enjoyable, one can feel the bloat as the episode count increases from five episodes to seven. Plus, it relies a little too much on the standard heist movie trope of doubling back on itself to show how things came to be, which can halt the narrative momentum. These are minor complaints, though, and the cliffhanger twist ending leaves me looking forward to Part Four (even if I needed to refresh my memory of Part Two to fully understand it).

SERVANT: SEASON THREE Starring: Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Nell Tiger Free, and Rupert Grint Creator: Tony Basgallop QUENTIN In its third season, Servant frustratingly refuses to provide any answers regarding the mysteries it has set up. It’s such a slow burn filled with repetitive plot points that it often feels like the story isn’t moving forward, which makes me nervous that it won’t stick the landing next season (the series’ final season). However, to its credit, the performances are solid, while the sinister, tension-filled atmosphere that was missing in season two has returned. But, even at its best, Servant is tone over narrative, which can make watching it feel like a chore. Let’s hope next season’s (series) finale makes it worth the effort.

SECRET INVASION Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman, Charlayne Woodard, Don Cheadle, and Kingsley Ben-Adir Creator: Kyle Bradstreet AMARÚ The MCU could have benefited from Secret Invasion ’s grounded tone about three years ago… as a movie. Finally getting to know Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) through a stunning post-blip examination, propelled by actors ACTING their asses off, generates an intensely thrilling first four episodes. Kingsley Ben-Adir is ferociously intimidating, Jackson’s dynamic with Ben Mendelsohn and Charlayne Woodard is organically brilliant, and Olivia Colman and Don Cheadle are deliciously mischievous. But the 6-episode structure continues to be this medium’s downfall, dampening the early successes with a rushed, uninspired, and disappointing ending to what was initially becoming the MCU’s best Disney+ series. QUENTIN Guys, I think it might have finally happened: I may have contracted the dreaded Marvel Fatigue. I say that because, terrible finale aside, I can’t point to one explicitly “bad” thing about Secret Invasion . It’s all, at best, very serviceable, from the action to the acting. However, I just could not bring myself to care about any of it. Maybe it’s because it builds on characters from Captain Marvel (one of my least favorite MCU movies), or maybe it’s just a boring, superficial take on a popular story that deserved much, much more. Either way, this is one of the least engaging MCU shows yet. ADRIANO I did not like Secret Invasion . I don’t think it’s Marvel Fatigue talking either; I just think this show is bad. The cast does a good job, namely Samuel L. Jackson in the best portrayal of Nick Fury in the MCU, and there is some intrigue hidden in there somewhere, but not enough to hold my attention beyond the Fury of it all. Instead, what we get are stakes that I never felt, uninteresting writing, and to be blunt, an embarrassing final episode. I wanted to like Secret Invasion , but I simply didn’t have much reason to. PAIGE Secret Invasion proves once again that Marvel Czar Kevin Feige is stretched way too thin. With such a subpar script, this show felt like it didn’t warrant a series at all. It’s ultimately unfortunate because Secret Invasion is filled with a stacked cast, from Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) to Olivia Colman (Sonya Falsworth), who deliver the best performances they possibly can despite dealing with this weak story. With the miniseries overall being mediocre, it admittedly ended with some big ideas that could come to fruition in future MCU projects. JACOB Were it not for its connection to the wider MCU, Secret Invasion would be a fine – if mostly disposable – limited series. Unfortunately, that connection is simultaneously its most alluring element and the thing that ultimately undoes it all. It begins interestingly enough, with Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik seeming a good foil for Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) inaction vis-à-vis the Skrulls, but the writing quickly turns him into a caricature, along with most other characters. In fact, the only performer having any fun seems to be Olivia Colman. And it all comes with newfound continuity errors that cheapen previous MCU growth. What a mess.

Previous December 31, 2024 Next A BITESIZE CHAT WITH JONATHAN MEDINA Actor Jonathan Medina (The Purge, The Terminal List, Fear the Walking Dead) joins Amarú to talk about his newest role as Uncle Jay in Amazon Freevee's Primo, the hopes for a 2nd season, and his unabashed love for Doctor Who. Make sure to check out Primo: Season One now on Amazon Freevee. Interview conducted on June 8th, 2023 by Amarú Moses. Photo Credits: Banner - Jonny Marlow; Photo 1 - Amazon Studios; Photo 2 - AMC

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON: SEASON ONE Starring: Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Anne Charrier, Adam Nagaitis, Laïka Blanc-Francard, and Romain Levi Creator: David Zabel NICK If AMC wants to continue doing The Walking Dead spin-offs, they need to find ways to stand alone. Daryl Dixon does that. It looks different, it sounds different (half of the series is in French, and the English features a realistic amount of swearing for a zombie apocalypse), and it finally expands on the idea of the variant walkers introduced in World Beyond . I was skeptical of Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon as a series lead, but this endeavor actually provides some of the best work Reedus has done as the character in quite some time. Bring on The Book of Carol.

THE ACOLYTE Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Dafne Keen, Lee Jung-jae, Carrie-Anne Moss, Manny Jacinto, and Charlie Barnett Creator: Leslye Headland AMARÚ Manny Jacinto does a helluva job in The Acolyte ’s fifth episode, becoming one of the most interesting new Star Wars characters in recent memory. However, he isn’t enough to make the latter half of the season any more compelling than the first half. The other actors are fine, and a story centered around the Jedi possibly being the galaxy’s resident “Karens” is an intriguing premise, as evidenced by a fairly decent finale; by that time, though, I already didn’t care. I never found this show offensive, but I’m sure I’ll forget about it in the very near now. NICK If The Acolyte were able to maintain the energy and pace of its pilot’s opening 10 minutes, it could have been special. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between in what amounts to a pretty mediocre Star Wars product. Playing more like a mid-tier episode of Clone Wars , The Acolyte lacks exciting characters and fails to utilize its fight scenes frequently enough. For the first time, watching these episodes felt more like a chore than something I anticipated and that’s a depressing realization for a Star Wars series. Even with a late character revelation, The Acolyte can only be viewed as a disappointment. PAIGE It’s unfortunate to say, but The Acolyte is a very dull Star Wars series, featuring stiff performances and dreary dialogue despite having a promising premise. Though the series contains some awesome fight sequences, the action is not enough to redeem this clichéd mystery that lacks depth and emotion. I will give the show credit for trying to explore the Jedi as flawed individuals, but some of the creative decisions made throughout the series occasionally left me perplexed. In the end, this series left a disturbance in the force, or, perhaps, my expectations for Star Wars are simply too high.